Suspension-bridge cable



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unrra sates JAMES FORREST HOWE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN STEEL AND WIRE COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SUSPENSION-BRIDGE CABLE.

Application filed Gctober 6, 1921. Serial No. 505,820.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, James Fonnns'r Hown, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements 1n Suspension-Bridge Cables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cables, and more particularly to the construction of large cables for supporting suspension bridges and the like, and has for its object the provision of a cable of this class that will be composed of units, each of which will be manufactured or laid up in the mill.

'Heretofore, when a cable of large size, that is, normally over three and one-half inches, was desired to supporta suspension bridge or the like, it was necessary to construct the cable in position, from single wires at the bridge site, by passing the wires back and forth until a sufficient number had been passed to form a finished cable ofthe desired size.,. When long spans were necessary numerous mechanical joints were necessarily made, thus weakening the cable. This operation was slow' and tedious. The present invention, however, eliminates all of the above disadvantages, and provides a cheaper, more durable, cable, since it is made in sections or units at the mill, and only a comparatively small number of these units or Sections need be combined to construct the completed cable at the bridge site.

The advantage of this invention will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, since to construct a cable as heretofore constructed it was necessary to stretch over eight thousand wires each having a diameter of .200 of an inch in order to form a nine inch cable, while in carrying out the present invention the sections or units would be Figure 3 is a sectional end view of one of the strands on a larger scale.

Referring more particularly to the drawmgs, the numeral 2 desi nates the center or core unit of the cable. 3 plurality of other unlts 3 are arranged around and parallelin the center or core unit 2 to form a roun cable, and all the units are held in position by suitable seizings 4:.

Each of the units" 2 and 3 are composed of a center strand or core 5, and a plurality of other strands 6 which are laid spirally around the center strand or core.

The strands 5 and 6 are each composed of a plurality of, single wires 7 arranged in layers and laid spirally around a center wire or core 8.

It will be understood that while I have shown only one layer composed of six of the units 3 around the core unit 2, any number of units may be arranged around the core unit inorder to construct a cable of the diameter'designed. Likewise, while I have shown only one layer of six strands arranged around a single core strand, any number ofstrands desired may be used in order to make a unit of the desired size.

p It will also be understood that the word spirally, referring to the manner in which' the strands and wires are laid'around their respective cores, is meant to include any of the well known and approved cable and rope constructions. l r

While I have described and shown each unit of duplicate structure and size, it is not essential that the cable be so constructed, since various sizes may be combined in order to obtain a more compact structure or to vary the diameter or cross sectional area of the finished cable. 1

I claim 1. A large cylindrical suspension bridge cable composed of a plurality of individual units laid side by side in parallel relation to the axis of the cable and to each other, each of said units being composed of a plurality of strands, and each of said strands being composed of a plurality of single wires, said units and said strands being laid up spirally around core members, and suitable seizing for holding said units together.

2. A cable composed'of a plurality of units laid side by side parallel with the axis of the Specification of Letters Patent. Pa flggntgd A 29 1922 i as r laid spirally around a core strand, each of of a corestrand and a plurality of other said strands being composed of a plurality strands laid spirally around said core strand,

of single wires laid up in any well known and each of said strands being composed of manner, and a plurality of seizings secured a core and plurality of single Wires laid 5 at intervals along said cable to hold said spirally around said c0re,- and means for units together. binding said units together around said core 3. A cable comprising a core unit and a unit. plurality of other units surrounding said In testimony whereof, I have hereunto core unit and parallel therewith, each of said signed my name. 10 units being of the same size and composed JAMES FORREST HOWE. 

